Suitcases

Harlow at the age of four, witnessed something so traumatizing. She hasn't forgotten the look in her mother's eyes. She also hasn't let anyone in her life besides her best friend, now sister. And also her foster mother. But it all changes when she finally meets the man that tries to help he.
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Chapters:

There was a loud banging at the door,
scaring the little child. "Baby, go and hide in the big suitcase
under mommies bed. Okay?" The dark haired lady said to the little
brunette. Tears were streaming down the young mother's face.
"Go!" The little girl took off to her mothers room as the banging
on the door was going on.

It was around nine at night and the
four year old had no clue as to what was actually happening right
now, all she knew was that she has to listen to her mommy. Little
feet pattered against the hard wood in her mother's room. A small
brown bear was held onto tightly by small shaking hands and loose
curls bounced around as she managed to crawl under the
bed.

The tiny body managed to fit like a
contortionist into the big pink suitcase. Screaming came from
downstairs and the little girl became even more frightened. Mr.
Stuffy was cluched closer to the child's chest as she heard
running from upstairs. "Where the hell is Harlow!?" A man's voice
shouted at the child's mother. The running came into the bed
room.

They were talking about the little girl
in the suitcase. Harlow lifted the top just a little so she could
see everything. There was her mother, and a man wearing black
shoes. That's the only thing Harlow could see. No response from
Harlow's mother. "Where is Harlow!?" The man shouted at Harlow's
crying mother.

Little did he know, Harlow was just
under the bed in hiding. There were loud sobs coming from
Harlow's mother. "Christa's house for the summer!" Harlow's
mother shouted. That was a lie. Christa was Harlow's aunt, but
had never been a large part in her life.

The man cussed outloud and Harlow's
bright brown eyes widened. What was going to happen? "Do you love
her!? Do you love that little rat!?" The man asked Harlow's
mother in an angry tone.

Harlow's mother's sobs got harder. "I
love my daughter! I love her so much!" The women cried to the
man. "Please, don't do this!" Harlow's mother choked out before
her body dropped to the ground and began convulsing.

Harlow's mother was epileptic. The
little girl had witnessed them before, but at the age of four she
never knew what to do and it scared her. Within seconds of her
mother being in a seizure, there was the sound of a gun cocking
and three shots.

The shaking stopped and the saliva that
spilled from her mothers mouth was soon followed by blood. Harlow
was too shocked to scream. There was blood on the hardwood floor
and the child stared at her mother's now lifeless dark brown
eyes.

Harlow laid there in the suitcase,
staring at her mother. The mother who had her at the age of
sixteen but loved her unconditionally. Harlow had just witnessed
her mother being murdered! As soon as the child heard the front
door slam shut, Harlow struggled to climb out of the suit case.
The little girl crawled out from under the bed and to her
mother.

"Mommy? ... Mommy?!" Harlow called out
to her mother as she tried to shake her awake. Harlow's mother
eye's never shut. There were just the big brown eyes staring at
Harlow. That's when it hit her, that her mother wouldn't respond.
"I love you too, mommy! Answer me!" Harlow cried out, trying to
have her mother respond anyways.

Harlow wasn't getting the response she
wanted. Her mother's blood was now on the little pale legs, her
bright yellow dress and her hands. Harlow stood from beside her
mother, deciding it was time to get help.

Harlow slipped around the hardwood
floor, seeing as the bottoms of her feet were wet from her
mothers blood. The small girl ran down the stairs, and out the
back door. She was afraid to go out the front, incase the man was
there waiting for her.

The now crying girl cut across the
grass to her best friend Aurora's house. They were still awake
seeing as the television was on. Aurora was laughing at whatever
was on, as was Aurora's mother, Geraldine. Aurora ran up the
steps and began pounding on the sliding glass doors, bawling her
eyes out.

Geraldine was the first to look and
automatically, her face fell from it's laughter. "Aurora, stay
here!" Geraldine told the redheaded girl as she ran to the
window, quickly opening it. "Harlow!? Honey, what happened?"
Geraldine asked the sobbing four-year-old.

Harlow was incapable of answering. The
small hands grabbed Geraldine's hand trying to pull her towards
her house. "Whose blood is that, Harlow!?" Geraldine asked.
Harlow attempted the answer, but it didn't come out. Harlow
continued trying to pull Geraldine with her, and finally she
obliged.

Geraldine allowed Harlow to lead her
back to the house where the mother of Harlow was just murdered.
The child led Geraldine up to her mother's room. Instantly,
Geraldine could see Harlow's mother, on the ground...
Dead.

It left Geraldine speechless. Harlow
ran up to her mother, and continued trying to wake her. "Mommy!"
The little voice shouted out loudly. Once again.... There was no
response from her mother. Harlow was lifted away from the lifless
body of Maria Miller and into the arms of Geraldine Keith.

----

"Were you home when this was
happening?" The police officer, Constable Roberts, asked Harlow
who had cried herself dry. Harlow slowly nodded. The little body
was shaking in fear. Constable Roberts frowned to Harlow. "Do you
have a stuffed animal you can hug?" That's when Harlow remembered
that she left her bear in the suitcase. Harlow jumped from the
couch, tossing the blanket off of her body before running
upstairs.

There were men and women investigating
the scene. A man turned to Harlow who was still covered in blood.
It looked as if he was going to say she can't be in here, until
he saw the blood. "What're you looking for sweetie?" The man
asked her. Harlow ignored him before crawling back under the bed.
Harlow's small hands reached into the suitcase pulling out the
bear.

Harlow crawled back out and ran back
downstairs to Constable Roberts. The police officer lifted the
small girl onto the couch next to him as she hugged the bear.
That specific bear held so many memories of Harlow and her
mother, but Harlow had to try to be a big girl right now.

Geraldine sat in the chair across from
the couch, hugging Aurora on her lap who was oblivious as to what
was going on. "Where's Harlow's mommy? Did Dracula take her
away!?" Aurora had asked her mother. That is the kind of question
you get from a four-year-old who is sat infront of a television
watching "Bela Lugosi's Dracula".

Geraldine just shook her head slowly.
"Mommy will tell you one day," Geraldine told Aurora. Harlow
didn't want to listen to any of this. It was far too much for a
child her age to handle right now.

"Is there any family Harlow can stay
with that you know of?" Roberts had asked Geraldine. Geraldine
just looked at the little brunette who was hugging her bear
tighter then ever.

Geraldine shook her head slowly. "I'm
going to keep her with me. I will adopt her," Geraldine said and
Aurora's face brightened up, still not knowing what was going on.
Aurora jumped from her mothers lap, running up to her best
friend.

"Now we can be sisters!" Aurora said
happily before hugging Harlow tightly. Harlow was now
emotionless... The four-year-old would never be the same.

A/N: AWWW. Poor Harlow ): ALSO,
if you've read Suits and Prostitutes... I AM STILL WORKING ON
IT. I love it too much to abandon it.